London and Brussels reach balanced post-Brexit fisheries agreement on 2022 stocks – The Independent

Britain has agreed a new fisheries deal with the European Union over how to divide up shared stocks in the year ahead, prompting dismay among environmentalists.

Under the Brexit trade deal, London and Brussels are required to annually agree on catch quotas and fishing rights in the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean a separate affair from the row over fishing licences which has sparked threats of a trade war and prompted French trawlers to blockade the Channel.

In contrast to the tone typically ascribed to the spat with France and thorny negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol European minister Joze Podgorsek hailed the agreement as being thanks to good will and a constructive approach on both sides, setting a good precedent for future negotiations with the UK.

Environment secretary George Eustice also welcomed the balanced agreement, which the government said will provide around 140,000 tonnes of fishing opportunities for UK fleets, estimated to be worth around 313m, based on historic landing prices.

One fishing industry expert told The Independent that the deal largely follows the same pattern as the first annual deal, which was only struck in June, reportedly after months of difficult talks mired in disputes over how to both meet environmental aims and ensure maximum access for fishermen.

Nevertheless, the signs are that the underlying tensions arising from the UKs departure from the EU have been in evidence throughout this set of negotiations, said Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO).

While Mr Deas said the negotiations themselves had been utterly opaque, causing palpable frustration among industry representatives, he claimed that the European Commission appears to have had a torrid time with some of its member states.

But despite the avoidance of a political stand-off across the Channel, environmentalists greeted the deal with alarm.

Lamenting that Wednesdays agreement should have been the beginning of a new post-Brexit era of truly sustainable, science-based fisheries management, ClientEarth expert Jenni Grossmann said that instead of giving vulnerable fish stocks a decisive nudge towards recovery, ministers had chosen to keep them on the brink.

Stocks, such as cod in the Celtic Sea and west of Scotland, will continue to hover on the brink of commercial extinction, she said.

Just like in pre-Brexit times, they have continued to prioritise short-term commercial interests over long-term sustainability for both fish and fishers perpetuating the dire state of these depleted stocks, Ms Grossmann said.

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London and Brussels reach balanced post-Brexit fisheries agreement on 2022 stocks - The Independent